Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cost the Canadian taxpayers a pretty penny when they recently stayed on Vancouver Island before moving to Los Angeles, California. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which is a citizens’ advocacy group, says that it has discovered that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police spent $56,384 on security costs for Harry and Meghan.
That monetary figure is purportedly based on the time period ranging from November 18. 2019, to January 19, 2020. The figure is more than $40,000 in US dollars for comparison purposes.
The federal director for The Canadian Taxpayers Federation said that the bill “could have easily turned into millions” if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had stayed on Vancouver Island.
This is a pretty hefty bill, especially considering that it doesn’t include salaries for the officers who were on duty for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The figure only included costs for “overtime, travel, meals, incidentals, and accommodations,” according to the report.
The cost of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s security was a much-debated topic during their time in Canada. After the couple decided to step down as senior royal family members, their first stop was on Vancouver Island, where they were going to live as they split their time between North America and the UK.
In January, an online petition circulated and was signed by over 80K Canadian citizens, who wanted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to foot the bill for their own security costs while they were staying in Canada. Afterwards, it was announced that the Canadian government would not provide security for the couple after March 2020, which is when Harry and Megan officially stepped down from the royal family.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now settled in a mansion in Los Angeles, where security has again become an issue. Harry and Meghan have apparently realized that the paparazzi in Los Angles is pretty relentless, and they’ve been dealing with drones flying on and around their property.
It was also announced, once Harry and Meghan arrived in the US, that US taxpayers wouldn’t be paying for the couple’s security. Meghan and Harry have since said that they never had planned to ask the US for assistance in footing the bill for their personal security while they’re there.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle told Fox News that “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the US government for security resources. Privately funded security arrangements have been made.”
So far, it doesn’t appear that Harry and Meghan have released any type of statement about their Canadian security costs. Be sure to check back here at CDL for more British royals news and updates.